MUHAMMAD ALI ?THE GREATEST? TRIVIA PART III
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 08 Jun 2016
When he retired from professional boxing, Muhammad Ali committed much of his time to philanthropy and get involved in establishing and raising funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix, Arizona. For several years, Ali also assisted the Special Olympics and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, among other organizations.
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According to the Muhammad Ali Center website in 2012: ?Since he retired from boxing, Ali has devoted himself to humanitarian endeavors around the globe. He is a devout Sunni Muslim, and travels the world over, lending his name and presence to hunger and poverty relief, supporting education efforts of all kinds, promoting adoption and encouraging people to respect and better understand one another. It is estimated that he has helped to provide more than 22 million meals to feed the hungry. Ali travels, on average, more than 200 days per year.?
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Ali travelled to several countries, including Mexico and Morocco, to help the needy and the sick. In 1998, he was selected to be a United Nations Messenger of Peace because of his work in developing nations. He faced Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 1990 to negotiate the release of American hostages. And in 2002 he traveled to Afghanistan as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. He also met world leaders such as Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, and Fidel Castro.
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Ali had the honor of lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In 1999 Ali was voted the BBC?s ?Sporting Personality of the Century,? he received more votes than the other contenders, which included Pel?, Jesse Owens and Jack Nicklaus combined. Sports Illustrated named him ?Sportsman of the Century.? Ali appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated 37 times, second only to Michael Jordan. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a 2005 White House ceremony, and in the same year the $60 million Muhammad Ali Center, a nonprofit museum and cultural center focusing on peace and social responsibility, opened in Louisville.
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Ring Magazine named Ali ?Fighter of the Year? five times, more than any other boxer, and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1999, Time magazine named Ali one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. On September 13, 1999, Ali was named "Kentucky Athlete of the Century" by the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies at the Galt House East.
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In 2005, Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. He was present during the inauguration celebration of the first African-American president in January 2009 when Barack Obama took his oath of office. Soon after the inauguration, Ali received the President's Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for his public service efforts.
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Ali was voted into the Forbes Celebrity 100 placing number 13 behind Donald Trump. In 1985, he was invited to act as a guest referee at the inaugural WrestleMania event. In 1987 he was selected by the California Bicentennial Foundation for the U.S. Constitution to epitomize the strength of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights in different prominent activities. Ali joined the 1988 Tournament of Roses Parade riding on a float in launching the U.S. Constitution?s 200th birthday commemoration.
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Ali published an oral history entitled Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times with Thomas Hauser, in 1991. He received a Spirit of America Award identifying him as the most recognized American in the world. He appeared at the 1998 American Football League (AFL) Grand Final, where Anthony Pratt recruited him to watch the game. He also met the runners at the start line of the Los Angeles Marathon every year.
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